Weighing-machine.



J. A. MANSON.

WEIGHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 0015,1910.

995,021 Patented June 13,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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Patented June 13, 1911.

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A TTORNEYS.

J. A. MANSON.

WEIGHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 001". 5, 1910.

995,021, Patented June 13, 1911.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

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ATTORNEYS.

JAMES A. MANSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

WEIG'HING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1911.

Application filed October 5, 1910. Serial No. 585,404.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMns A. MANSON, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Springfield, in the county of Hampden and State ofMassachusetts, have invented a new and useful lVeighing-Vlachine, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for automaticallyweighing coal, grain, and other commodities of a more or less similarcharacter, which are sold in packages of uniform weight, and consists ofcertain peculiar balancing or scale mechanism, and a suitable feeding orloading device or appliance, together with such auxiliary and subsidiaryparts and members as may be essential in order to render the machinecomplete and serviceable, all as hereinafter set forth.

The object of my invention is to produce a comparatively simple andinexpensive yet strong and durable machine which is adapted to weighautomatically any given amount within the capacity of the machine, isself feeding, is accurate and reliable, and is withal highly practicableand eflicient.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

This machine is especially useful for bagging coal, since with itpractically all of the work is done automatically, so that there is alarge saving in time, labor and expense, but said machine is by no meanslimited to such use, since it is capable of handling to advantage manyif not most kinds of substances that are of a granular or pulverulentcharacter, such as sugar, corn, wheat, etc., provided weight is a factorin the dividing or apportioning process.

By bagging coal is meant the placing in tough paper bags of someparticular number of pounds of coal for small consumers, say twentypounds in a bag.

I attain the objects and secure the advantages, hereinbefore referredto, by the means and mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing,in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a practical embodiment of myinvention, the bucket be ing represented in its lowest position with theother movable parts or members disposed accordingly; Fig. 2, a frontelevation of said machine, showing said bucket in its highest positionand the other movable members correspondingly disposed; Fig. 3,

a side elevation of the machine, with the same arrangement of movableparts as in the preceding view; Fig. 4;, a sectional detail taken onlines H, looking in the direction of the associated arrow, in Fig. 3,and, Fig. 5, a sectional detail taken on lines 55, looking in thedirection of the associated arrow, in Fig. 2.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A suitable supporting frame of wood, steel, or other suitable materialis provided for this machine, the other elements of the machine beingmounted on and carried by such frame. In the present instance the framecomprises a base 1, four uprights 2 and 6 arranged in pairs, the rearpair, 6, being taller than the front pair, 2, a cross piece 8 connectingthe two uprights 6 at the top, two side pieces 9 at the tops of theuprights 2 connecting said uprights with the uprights 6, a cross piece 7connecting said side pieces intermediate of their ends, a side piece 10intermediate of said base and each of said first mentioned side pieces,and two cross pieces 11 and 12 between the two side pieces 10 in frontof a vertical plane common to the uprights 3.

Mounted on the base 1, between the uprights 2, is a platform 13 providedwith a bag support let for the bags while being filled. The support 14Lhas two forwardlycurved arms 15 to receive a bag.

Mounted between the supports 2 on the cross pieces 11 and 12 is a plate16 having an opening 17 therethrough to receive the spout whichconstitutes the lower cylindrical portion of a funnel-shaped bucket 18.The plate 16 constitutes a combination guide and rest for the bucket 18.Depending from the plate 16, at the right of the aforesaid cylindricalportion or spout of the bucket 18, is a bracket 19 which has ahorizontal arm 20 that extends to the right and rearwardly from saidbracket and is turned down at its free end to form a lug 21. The arm 20and its lug 21 constitute stops for a horizontal diaphragm, valve, orshutter 22 with which the bucket 18 is provided, as will be explainedpresently.

An inclined chute 23 is mounted on the cross pieces 7 and 8, in thecenter, and opens at its lower front end over the bucket 18. The chute23 receives the coal, it being assumed that this machine is intended tohandle that commodity, from any suitable source and in any suitablemanner, usually, how ever, by means of another chute not shown)connected with the rear end of said chute and leading thereto from anaecunnilation at a higher level or from an elevator. As shown at Q-l and25, respectively, the front portion of the floor of the chute 23 isimperforate, while the rest of said floor is perforated. The perforatedportion 25 extends over the space between the uprights 3 and 6, and thispermits the dust and fine particles to escape from the coal, as the coalslides down the chute 23 and before it arrives over the bucket 18, suchdust and particles dropping through the perforations and down behind avertical plate or partition 3 which protects the weighing mechanismtherefrom. The partition 3 is secured at the bottom to the base 1 and atthe top to the cross piece 7.

An angular door or shutter 26 is provided with which to open and closethe front or discharge end of the chute 23, such shutter having tworearwardly-extending arms 27 which are pivoted at their rear ends to thesides of said chute at 28-28. This shutter is heavy enough. to close bygravity and cut off the advance of the coal. On the front of the shutter26 is a lug 29 that projects into the path of a lifter 30. The lifter 30is, in the present case, an angular member somewhat similar to the bailof an ordinary bucket and is securely fastened at its ends to the bucket18.

Pivotally mounted at 31-31 to suitable brackets are two scale beams saidbrackets being secured to the side pieces 9 directly over the uprights2. These scale beams extend both ways from the side pieces 9, that is,to the right and left thereof, and the bucket 18 is suspended from theinner or adjacent terminals of said beams by means of hooks 34 and links35, the former being fastened to said bucket on opposite sides near thetop and swung from said links, and the latter being swung from notchedportions 36-36 of said beam terniinals. The upward movement of the innerterminal portions of the beams 33, and consequently of the bucket 18, islimited by stops 37-37 in the form of bent members which are fastened attheir lower ends to the uprights 2, extend upwardly and rear 'ardly oversaid inner terminal portions and then downwardly, and are fastened bythe down- 'wardly-extending parts just mentioned to the cross pieces 8.Preferably the stops 3? are arranged to check the scale beams when theyreach the horizontal position. Suitable scales may be marked orotherwise indicated on the beams 33, the same being on the outerterminal portions of said beams, beyond or outside of the frame of themachine.

Each scale beam is provided on its outer terminal portion with a slide38 which has a set-screw S9 tapped into it and adapted to bear againstthe beam and so secure said slide rigidly thereto at whatever point theslide may be located or adjusted. Rising from the inner end of eachslide 38 is :1 lug lO, and to the top of this lug or yoke i1 is pivotedat A weight 4-3 is attached to the bottom of each yoke l-l. Thus it willbe seen that, by loosening the thumb-screws I55), moving the slides 38nearer to the brackets 32 and retightening said thumb-screws, less coal.in the bucket 18 will be required to tip the beams, and by adjustingsaid slides in the opposite directions so as to locate them nearer thefree ends of said beams, more coal will be required. The same resultsmay also be obtained by substituting lighter weights for the weights 43,on the one hand. and heavier weights, on the other hand. In all thisthere is nothing new so far as the opera tion of the balancing membersis concerned, but a most important advantage and one which is believedto be novel is obtained as the result of mounting or suspending theweights so that they swing freely from points above the inner ends ofthe slides since such points must approach the vertical planes in whichthe axes of the pivots 31 are situated in such a manner as to acceleratethe ap n'oach to such planes of the centers of gravity of said weightsand to so change the relationship of the parts that the effect of theweights is lessened after the loading operation is linished and thebucket begins to descend and tip the beams, to the end that said bucketis permitted to make, if not actually aided in making, its completedescent. lVith weights suspended from the bottoms of slides in the oldway, the weighing operation can take place, but in many cases the fulldescent of the loaded bucket does not occur because of the impediment ofthe weights, while with the weights suspended so that they approach thebeam fulcrums, as herein shown and de scribed, no such difficulty isexperienced, all l of which I have fully demonstrated. In my machine theforce exerted by the weights is very much decreased as the beamscontinue to tip, and the more they tip the greater the decrease,consequently my loaded bucket is relieved more and more from the effectof the weights as it descends lower and lower, and is thus able tocomplete its descent at practically the same rate of speed with which itbegan to descend. This is a very valuable feature in a machine of thiskind, for the reason that much time and trouble are saved which wouldotherwise be expended in drawing the loaded bucket to dischargingposition.

By locating the pivots 42 directly above j the inner ends of the slides38, the usual and desired initial balancing effect is obtained when thebeams 38 are in their horizontal positions, which would not be the caseif such pivots were offset from said ends inwardly; nor, in the latterevent, could said slides be adjusted as near to the beam fulcriuns,although the nearer approach to said fulcrums, when the beams aretipped, and the consequent quicker relief, as hereinbefore explained,might be brought about.

As previously noted, the bucket 18 is equipped with the shutter 22. Thisshutter is in the spout of the bucket 18 and has a lug 4 1 that extendsfrom one edge thereof and is pivoted at 15 to and between two lugs 16which are securely attached to said spout by means of a band 47 whichencircles said spout a little distance above its base, and said shutterhas a handle 18 that extends from the edge opposite said lug 14. Slotsare cut in the bucket 18 and in the band 47, as shown at 419, in Figs. 3and 5 to enable the shutter 22 to be swung open. The band 47 is belowthe plate 16. The position of the stop members 20 and 21 and theconstruction and arrangement of the bucket and its shutter are suchthat, when said bucket is in its lowest position with its flaringportion at rest on the plate 16 and said shutter is swung outward on thepivot 45 through the slots 49, the shutter passes under said member 20and strikes against said member 21. The member or lug 21 thus limits theoutward movement of the shutter 22, but does not stop said shutter untilthe latter has passed entirely beyond the bucket passageway, so as toleave such passageway clear for the escape of the contents of thebucket; and the member or arm 20 prevents said bucket from rising whenfreed from its load as it otherwise would do under the influence of thescale members or weights, until the shutter is moved from beneath saidarm in closing. When swung into the bucket 18 as far as it will go theshutter 22 completely closes the passageway therethrough and serves as abot-tom for the bucket upon which the load is received and supportedprior to its discharge.

Starting with the parts disposed. as represented in Fig. 5, and assumingthat the slides 38 have been set so that the machine will weigh therequired amount, the complete operation of said machine is as follows:The handle 18 is grasped and the shutter 22 is closed. As soon as theshutter 22 passes from beneath the stop arm 20 the bucket 18 rises,being carried upward by the beams 33 which are now swung by theirweights into contact with the stops 37 which check them when they are inalinement with each other. The lifter 30 on the rising bucket 18encounters the lug 29 and raises the shutter 26, swinging the latterupwardly on the pivots 28, so as to enable said bucket to be loaded withcoal from the chute 23. The parts are now disposed as indicated in Figs.2 and 3. The coal runs from the chute 23 beneath the now open shutter 26into the bucket 18, and the latter descends under its load overbalancingand tilting the scale beams 33, until said bucket comes to rest on theplate 18. The descent of the loaded bucket onto the plate 16 is insuredbecause, as herein previously explained at some length, the beam loads,represented by the weights 43, move nearer to the beam fulcrums,represented by the pivots 31, and relieve the beams more and more assaid bucket approaches its lowest position and its power becomes less,such power decreasing as the pivotal connections at the notches 36approach the vertical planes in which the axes of said pivots arelocated, just as the force exerted by said weights decreases as theirpivotal points approach said planes. The descending bucket removes thelifter 30 from supporting relation to the lug 29, and the shutter 26immediately drops into its closed position and so prevents more coalfrom passing from the chute 23 into said bucket. An expanded bag (notshown) having been placed on the platform 13, against the support 14 andthe arms 15, the lower terminal of the bucket 18, below the 'band 17,enters the open top of such bag, when said bucket descends, and theshutter 22 is then opened by means of the handle 18 to release the coalin the bucket and allow it to enter the bag. The complete operation thusset forth is repeated as often as de sired, and each time a bag isfilled, the filled bag being replaced by an empty bag at every cycle ofthe machine. The aforesaid operation is performed quite rapidly, thework being done very much more expeditiously than it is possible to doit entirely by hand in the old way.

Such modifications and changes, in the construction and arrangement ofsome or all of the parts of this machine, as would naturally occur toone skilled in the art, to which this invention appertains, are to beconsidered as belonging to said invention, provided they can fairly besaid to fall within the scope of my claims.

What I claim as my invention, to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable uprightsupporting frame, and a partition erected in said frame between thefront and back thereof, of an inclined chute mounted on said frame oversaid partition and provided with a foraminous bottom with theperforations opening behind said partition, oppositely-disposed scalebeams pivotally mounted on such frame, weights on such beams, and abucket suspended from the adjacent terminals .of such beams in front ofsaid partition and beneath the discharge end of said chute.

2. The combination, in a weighing maand desire chine, with a suitablesupport, and an inclined chute mounted on such support, ofoppositely-disposed independent scale beams pivotally mounted on suchsupport, weights on such beams, a bucket suspended from adjacentterminals of such beams beneath the discharge end of said chute, andstops for said beams arranged in the paths of their inner terminals tolimit the upward movement of such inner or adjacent terminal por tionswith that of said bucket.

3. The combination, in a weighing ma chine, with a suitable support, andan inclined chute mounted On such support and provided with a shutter,of oppositely-disposed independent scale beams pivotally mounted on suchsupport, weights on such beams, a bucket suspended from the adjacentterminals of such beams beneath the discharge end of said chute, andmeans carried by said bucket to automatically open and close saidshutter as said bucket rises and falls.

4. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable supportprovided with a combination guide and rest for a bucket, and a chutemounted on such support, of oppositely-disposed scale beams pivotallymounted on such support, weights on such beams, and a bucket suspendedfrom the adjacent terminals of such beams in operative relation to saidchute and to said combination guide and rest.

5. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable supportprovided with a stop, and a chute mounted on such support, ofoppositely-disposed scale beams pivotally mounted 011 such support,weights on such beams, and a bucket suspended from the adjacentterminals of such beams in operative relation to said chute, said bucketbeing provided with a member adapted to be moved into engagement withsaid stop to prevent the bucket from rising.

(3. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable support, ofoppositelydisposed scale beams pivotally mounted on .such support, aload-receiving member sup ported by the inner terminals of such beams,weights for such beams, and automaticallymoving weight-supporting meanscarried by such beams, but having individual and independent movementwhich enables them to advance said weights toward the load, when saidbeams tip in weighing, and increase the ratio of decrease in the forceexerted by said weights over the decrease in the power of said load,such means being free to move at all times.

7. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable support, anda chute mounted on such support, of oppositely-disposed scale beamspivotally mounted on such support, a bucket suspended from the innerterminals of such beams in operative relation to said chute, weights forsuch beams, and automatically-moving weight-supporting means carried bysuch beams, but having individual and independent mm'ement which enablesthem to advance said weights toward the load (represented by said bucketand its contents), when said beams tip in weighing, and increase theratio of decrease in the force exerted by said weights over the decreasein the power of said load, such means being free to move at all times.

8. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable support, ofop positelydisposed scale beams pivotally mounted on such support,slidingly-adjustable weightsupporting members on such beams,freelyswinging depending weights connected with said members at pointswhich extend inwardly from the inner ends of said men'ibers when saidbeams are tipped in weighing, and a bucket supported by the innerterminals of said beams.

9. The combination, in a weighing ma chine, with a suitable support, ofoppositelydisposed scale beams pivotally mounted on such support,slidingly-adjustable weight supporting members on such beams, suchmembers having projections above their inner terminals, freely-swingingyokes pivotally connected with said projections at the upper ends of thesame, weights attached to said yokes at their bases, and a bucketsupported by the inner terminals of said beams.

10. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable support, ofoppositelydisposed scale beams pivotally mounted on such support, slideson such beams, such slides having lugs rising from their innerterminals, freely-swinging yokes pivotally connected with said lugs,weights attached to said yokes at their bases, means to fasten saidslides in place on said beams, and a bucket suspended from the innerterminals of said beams.

11. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable support, ofscale members mounted on such support, a bucket suspended t'rom suchmembers, a rest attached to said support to receive said bucket when itarrives in its lowest position, and engaging means for said bucket toretain the same in such position.

12. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable support, ofscale members mounted on such support, a bucket suspended from suchmembers and provided with a movable shutter, a rest attached to saidsupport to receive said bucket when it arrives in its lowest position,and a stop arranged above the horizontal plane of said shutter when inits low position, the arrangement of parts being such that when saidshutter is opened in said low position it enters beneath said stop andso retains said bucket on said rest.

13. The combination, in a weighing machine, with a suitable support, ofscale members mounted on such support, a bucket suspended from suchmembers and provided with a movable shutter, a rest attached to saidsupport to receive said bucket when it arrives in its lowest position,and a stop arm having a stop lug, said arm being above the horizontalplane of said shutter when in its low position so that said shutter thenwhen opened enters beneath said arm to retain said bucket on said rest,and said lug being in the path of said shutter to limit the movement ofthe same in opening beneath the arm.

14:. The combination, in a weighing machine, of a suitable support,scale members mounted on said support, a bucket suspended from saidmembers, a bucket-receiving platform under said bucket, and a chuteopening over said bucket, said chute being provided with a shutteroperated by the bucket, and the latter being provided with a shutter torelease the contents therein.

15. The combination, in a weighing machine, with .a suitable support,and the weighing and loading mechanism, of a funnel-shaped bucketprovided in its lower portion or spout with a movable diaphragmalshutter, and a guide attached to said support 30 for said spout.

JAMES A. MANSON.

lVitnesses:

F. A. CUTTER, A. C. FAIRBANKS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

